Demonstrations

Relativistic Meter Sticks

Code Number :	7F10.32
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Excellent
Principle :	Relativity and Length Contraction
Area of Study :	Modern Physics
Equipment :	Set of relativistic meter sticks.
Procedure :	The meter sticks are magnetic so that they will attach directly to the boards in LR. I and LR. II, and to the white board that can be moved into LR. 70.

References

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr. "Relativistic Metersticks." TPT, Vol. 38, # 5, p. 315, (May 2000).

Abe Korn, "How Fast is Fast?", TPT, Vol. 32, #3, March 1994, p. 164.

Larry O. Lamm, "A Little Frosting?", TPT, Vol. 31, # 2, Feb. 1993, p. 68.

K. James, N. Anzai, L. Sanchez, and H. Hickman, "Analog Device for Lorentz Calculations", TPT, Vol. 30, # 8, Nov. 1992, p. 464.

Carlton A. Lane, "Space Travelers, Beware!", TPT, Vol. 30, # 7, Oct. 1992, p. 397.

Robert W. Flynn, "The Relativistic Velocity Addition Formula", TPT, Vol. 29, # 8, Nov. 1991, p. 524.

John Wal, "Time Dilation and the Lorentz Contraction", TPT, Vol. 20, # 1, Jan. 1982, p. 42 - 44.

Maria B. Penny, Steve Bryant, Hien An, Donald E. Tilley, "Does Relativistic Length Contraction Change Physical Properties?", TPT, Vol. 18, # 8, Nov. 1980, p. 610.

William M. DeCampli, "A Gedanken Experiment to Demonstrate Lorentz Contraction", TPT, Vol. 13, # 7, Oct. 1975, p. 420.

Aleksander Gjurchinovski, "Reflection of Light from a Uniformly Moving Mirror", AJP, Vol. 72, # 10, Oct. 2004, p. 1316.

Manfred Bucher, "Diagrams for Relativistic Length Contraction and Time Dilation", AJP, Vol. 56, # 10, Oct. 1988, p. 941.

G. P. Sastry, 'Is Length Contraction Really Paradoxical?", AJP, Vol. 55, # 10, Oct. 1987, p. 943.

Roberto de A. Martins, "Length Paradox in Relativity", AJP, Vol. 46, # 6, June 1978, p. 667.

G. D. Scott and M. R. Viner, "The Geometrical Appearance of Large Objects Moving at Relativistic Speed", AJP, 33, (7), July 1965, p.534.

Neil Ashby, "Relativity and the Global Positioning System," Physics Today, May 2002, p. 41.

"Puzzles and Paradoxes", Selected Reprints Published for The American Association of Physics Teachers by the American Institute of Physics.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille